Desired Effect
by speedfanatic05
Summary: Speed and Calleigh, set adrift somewhere in the first season, between Dispo Day and Body Count.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own them, but I promise to treat them well while I have them. No more death for Speed! This is my first fic here, so please bare with me. I would appreciate reviews and constructive criticism.

Summary: Speed Calleigh , set somewhere adrift in the first season, between Dispo Day and Body Count.

Desired Effect

He looked at her from the door. She was bent over a microscope analyzing evidence from the new case they were working on . Even though she was in full "bullet girl" mode , Speed couldn't help but smile to himself. He had always thought of Calleigh as a friend, but now his feelings were venturing into unknown territory. Day in and day out he worked alongside the southern beauty, catching glimpses of her in rare moments , such as her joy when she nailed identification on a piece or the discovery of some unknown gun. She always had a good disposition, supplying the team with much needed cheerfulness in dark times, but when it came to finding the criminals, Calleigh Duquense was all business.

" Are you gonna stand there and watch?", she asked not looking up. She knew that he had been standing there for quite a while. "Or come in and keep me company?"

" Horatio wants us in the layout room in twenty minutes,"Speed said sheepishly. He shifted his weight clumsily. He didn't know how she did it , but Calleigh made him weak at the knees.

"Okay, Tim. I'll be there . Just gotta finish this." She glanced at Speed and gave him a dazzling smile. Noticing his awkward stance she asked, " Is everything ok, Tim?"

" Okay? Um , yeah everything is fine."Speed replied a little too quickly.

"Sure?"

"Yes," Speed lied. Everything wasn't ok. He was in love with her but couldn't tell her. He didn't want to ruin a good friendship, not to mention their working relationship. Sighing softly, he headed back to the trace lab, unsure if he would be able to ever get out what he felt inside.

In the hall he ran into Eric. He enjoyed his friendship with Eric, but sometimes, Eric could be annoying.

" So you couldn't tell her, huh?", Eric asked as he walked alongside his friend.

" Tell her what?"

" You love her. C'mon man, I see how you look at her. You are head over heels in love with her. You can't deny it." Eric replied, smirking.

" What I'm trying to understand is how you can focus on my love life , when yours is so desperately in need of help. When's the last time you've had a date?", Speed said holding the door open to the layout room.

" I'm waiting for the right one," Eric said lightly.

" Riiight. More like the right price , huh?"Speed said grabbing a seat just to the right of the table.

" That was cold, man."

"But true , right?"Speed asked , smiling. Eric had narrowed his eyes at Speed, then laughed it off. It wasn't the worst thing he had said to him in the years he had worked with Speed. It was as if they were brothers lost at birth.

A minute passed before the door to the layout room opened, and Calleigh walked in. She still had her lab coat on but now her hair was loose and cascading down her back. Speed glanced at her as she took a position next to Eric. Eric smiled at Calleigh then turned to Speed and smirked, nodding his head. Speed shoved him on the arm, hoping that Calleigh didn't see the gesture.

" Gentlemen, Calleigh. Let's get to work," Horatio said standing at the door. He had quietly entered and watched as his three CSIs interacted with each other. They were the best team in the county, possibly in the state, but sometimes they could be a little childish. " What do we have?"

Calleigh was the first to offer anything ,opening the file folder that she had brought with her, "Well, the bullet we found in Ms. West's head was traced back to a stolen gun. I ran it through the IBIS database and a familiar popped up. Also , I tested the gun found at the scene and it wasn't a match to the bullet found in the vic's head. It's not the murder weapon. So there is another gun out there somewhere."

" Familiar? How familiar?", Horatio asked.

" Jamieson Reed," Calleigh replied .

" Didn't he get some time for a murder ?", Eric asked.

" Yes, but his lawyer found grounds for an appeal, and Reed walked on a technicality," Calliegh followed through. " He's been free for almost two years, and now a gun of his makes it to our crime scene. Can't wait to ask him how it got there."

" Didn't he threaten you in court?"Speed asked , his concern genuine.

" Yeah , he did, but doesn't everyone who has been found guilty of murder?" Calleigh asked lightly.

" Still , Cal, you have to watch your back. These deranged idiots don't care who they hit. Especially when they've been there before."Speed said sighing.

" You can't possibly be telling me that I shouldn't proceed, Speed. This is my crime scene. I finish what I start. No matter what."

"Okay. Okay. Calleigh, proceed with caution. If he is apart of this, I want everything tight. If we can get him to explain, then do so. Eric, what's going on with the prints on the door?"

" Found some latent prints, but most of them were smudges. Running the workable prints through AFIS right now," Eric reported.

" Speed?"

" Trace ? Surprisingly there was very little. Some kind of substance found near the body, that was also on the body. I'm still analyzing . Running the blood on the couch through DNA. But I gotta tell you H, this is weird. It looks like a home invasion, but nothing was taken. And the lack of trace makes me think that a CSI did this. The scene was too clean."Speed said closing his folder. He was frustrated by the lack of evidence the scene had yielded..

" This is not a perfect crime. The perp is careful, patient. But give some one enough rope..." Horatio started.

"And watch them hang themselves," Speed completed.

" Right. Let the evidence talk to you. I think we need to go back to the scene. Speed, you and Eric go back there and see if there is anything left. Calleigh you and I will see if we can scare up Mr. Reed. Good job, everyone."Horatio said moving into action.

Speed glanced at Calleigh as she moved to follow Horatio. He felt his heart hit his throat. He had to tell her. Now wasn't the right time, but when?

" I don't know what H thinks is still here. We went through this house with a fine toothed comb," Speed said getting out of the Hummer. He walked to the back to retrieve his kit, Eric following close behind. The day was humid and it was annoying him. He pushed his sunglasses on to his nose then looked in his field kit. Grabbing the latex gloves, Speed picked up a small piece of paper that was lodged inside. He looked at it for a moment then put it in his pocket.

" Hey , what was that?" Eric asked. He saw as Speed's cheeks turned bright red.

" Nothing. Let's get this done," Speed replied, closing the kit.

Speed walked up to the yellow crime scene tape and lifted it up. He then opened the door slowly.

There in the middle of the floor, was the blood stain that was left by the victim, Jaye West. Speed put the kit down and opened it, then he grabbed his mag lite. Eric had done the same and was a step behind him. The two men searched the home quietly, certain that they had collected everything that they needed 48 hours ago.

Speed stopped to look at the photos that still sat on the table. A woman with long brown hair and piercing hazel eyes stared back with a smile on her face. Those same eyes no longer held their gaze as she lain in a drawer in Alexx's morgue. She had been found , half naked on the floor, a good size chunk of her brain blown out . _Such a pretty woman,_ Speed thought. He walked away from the table and continued to search the room, Eric had gone up to the bedroom to search for more clues.A moment later, Eric called Speed from upstairs. Speed ascended the stairs quickly, thinking of what to have with his crow.

" Didn't Tripp say that she was single?" Eric asked , standing in front of the closet.

" Yeah, I think he did. Why?"

Eric opened the closet to find boxes of men's clothing .

" That wasn't there two days ago. I checked this room myself."

" You think that someone came in here? After we left?" Eric asked pulling the clothes out.

" They had to have! This room was cleared by Horatio himself," Speed replied , frustration showing. He held his flashlight into the box as Eric went through it. After digging through several sweaty shirts, all of which Speed bagged, Eric picked up a picture in a frame. It was a woman and a man. The woman, Speed recognized as Jaye West. He looked harder to see the man, making sure that he was certain. It was a smiling Jamesion Reed. He noticed that the glass had a drop of something on it, he took the sample and placed the picture in another bag. As he placed the bag down, he heard Eric as he pulled something out of the box. It was a gun. After gathering all of the new evidence, Speed called Horatio and updated him on what they found. As they left the home, Speed knew that he wasn't going to his own home anytime soon.

Back at the lab, Speed headed straight for the trace department, and began working on the new evidence. He prepared the swabs found on the frame and cut swatches from the shirts found in the boxes. After he finished processing the items, he stopped and took a break. He took off his lab coat and headed for the break room. The first shift had long gone home, and Speed walked through the abandoned hall slowly. He had been wrong about the West case. Now he was paying for it.

Entering the break room, he noticed as it was empty. Grateful, he grabbed a bottled water from the refrigerator, and sat at the table. He just needed a few minutes to clear his mind. He took a swig from the bottle in the process dripping water onto his shirt. As he swiped his shirt, he felt something in his pocket. He put his hand into the pocket producing a folded sheet of paper. He opened it , instantly remembering where it came from. He glanced at the script, then read it fully. He ignored the bottle of water as the note held his attention. Several words burned into his mind; _Sex, table, positions _, _what I'd like to do to you, Tim Speedle._ He felt himself getting lost in the seductive prose, and didn't realize as the break room door opened. Speed glanced up to see Calleigh looking at him with a sly smile on her face. She knew what he was reading.

" Is this the first time that you've had a chance to read it?" Calleigh said to him as she wallked up to him. She could feel the sexual tension that he radiated. She brushed softly against him, chuckling lightly at his reaction.

"Um, yeah. I found it in my kit at the West home this afternoon," Speed replied , trying to collect himself.

Calleigh sat down next to him and pulled the chair closer, " Well? Do you think I'm a little too forward?"

" Well it had it's desired effect. Are you sure about even half of the stuff, you wrote?"Speed asked looking into those beautiful green eyes. He would've pinched himself to see if he was dreaming, if she hadn't been so close.

" I don't make empty promises, Tim. I'm serious. I've seen you look at me. You want it as much as I do," Calleigh replied , the lust evident in her eyes. She got closer to Speed and parted her lips. Speed leaned in farther and tilted his head slightly , his lips brushing against hers. The touch sent electricity through both Speed and Calleigh, and the bottled up passion sprung forth.Calleigh slid her hand into , Speed's dark hair and grasped tightly as she pulled him deeply into the kiss. She felt as Speed had cradled his hands on her face. Before he lost control of the situation, Speed pulled away from her.

" Calleigh, not here. Not now. I want it to be special," Speed said taking in her scent.

Although she had one thing on her mind, Calleigh nodded and sat back, " Always the gentleman."

" I would like to , to spend more time with you, Cal. I want this to be right. I love you," he replied taking her hand into his. It was soft.

" I love you Tim," Calleigh said soflty, "More than you know."

Speed smiled at her , thrilled that he could now breathe easy around her. Desired effect indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter2

Disclaimer: In the first part. Reiteration, though, I don't own them. Those unfamiliar names are mine though. Some language won't be suitable for the young ones.

Summary: Calleigh and Speed are together at last, but will a tragedy cost them happiness?

She entered her apartment clearly upset, throwing the keys onto the table in the hallway, then taking her gun off of her side. Sometimes she hated guns. Guns were her life, but she saw the damage they did. She loved them one day , the next she despised them. Today was one of those days that she hated them. This was the day from hell, and Calleigh had just gotten off of the expressway. Tim had been involved in a shootout on the way to disposing of some drugs that they had to retest, and she had spent the better part of the day picking up numerous spent shells. She also found that Tim had not been cleaning his gun. When she met him in the hallway, she gently let him know that it was important that he clean his gun, because she couldn't bear to live without him. Now , in the stillness of her home, she hoped that she had gotten through to Tim. She really couldn't see herself without him. She walked into the kitchen fully intending on drowning her stresses in alcohol, but she realized that it wouldn't help. She was just exhausted.

Just the same, she grabbed the bottle of vodka and reached for the cabinet to get a glass. She poured her drink and held the glass in her hand, her mind straying from the present. She thought about Tim and how much she loved him. Since that moment in the break room, Calleigh and Tim had begun to loosen up to one another. They went on dates and shared tender moments alone, and she really got to know him. She sighed heavily, wanting him to be there now, but she had left him at the lab, working. She thought to call him but she was startled by a sharp knock on her front door. Calleigh put the glass on the counter and walked to her door. _ I'm not expecting anyone,_ she thought to herself. As she approached the door ,the knocking turned into pounding, and her senses picked up. Whoever this was, they were going to find out Calleigh Duquense had a ugly side. Then all at once, the pounding stopped. Calliegh stopped short, surprised by the quietness of her home.

_" _Wrong address probably," Calliegh said out loud. She then thought that someone could've been truly lost. She would peek out and see if she could help them, and maybe give them a lesson on courtesy while she was at it. Calliegh opened the door slowly to an empty front yard, no one was there. She looked from left to right at her neighbor's homes, noticing that their doors were closed. _Weird,_she thought.

Before she went back in the door, something caught her eye. Lying on the ground, was a bullet. She bent down to look at it, then thought to pick it up. Realizing what she was doing , she stopped and straightened up, she needed to get her gloves. Turning to walk back into her house to grab her kit, Calliegh felt a hand come up from behind her place a cloth on her face. She struggled against the sweet smell as it invaded her senses, finally giving in to the darkness.

S/C

The pounding of the music helped him to relax and also to think. He bobbed his head while scraping a substance off of a piece of evidence. While Speed was in his trace lab, life stood still. He wrapped himself in the details, nothing was more important than his work. Well almost nothing. He looked at his watch and swore to himself. It was late and he hadn't called Calleigh. He realized how much the day's events had affected her when she stopped him in the hallway to let him know about his gun. He looked into her eyes reluctantly , he already felt responsible for officer Hollis' death. Calleigh pleaded with him to clean his gun. He agreed, wanting to take the pain that swam in her eyes away from her. Before she left for home, she came by the trace lab.

" Timothy James Speedle, you need to put this away for the night and go home," she had said her southern drawl thickening.

" No one calls me Timothy, Calleigh. Besides I have a ton of work to do. Now if you would excuse me, mother," he said sharply.

" Call me before you leave. I might need you do something for me before you go home," Calleigh replied lightly.

Speed looked at her and her eyes screamed the lust that he felt for her. He raised his eyebrows in astonishment. " Are you insinuating sex?"

" Maybe. You will just have to come by to find out won't you," she replied giving him a wicked smile.

" Tease," Speed said with a smirk.

" A Promise," Calleigh simply said provocatively. " And remember, I don't make empty promises."

Speed smiled as he remembered the exchange fondly. He took the headphones off and flipped open his cell phone. He dialed her number then waited. He heard the answering machine pick up then left a short message, " Calliegh, it's me . I was just calling you to let you know that I finally got my head out of my ass and I put my toys away. I'll be there shortly. I love you."

After hanging up his phone, he catalogued the evidence that he had already processed then went about putting his tools away. He didn't want to keep her waiting.

Twenty minutes later, he was walking to his Ducati in the parking garage. He flipped his phone again and hit redial. Again her voice came on and told him to leave a message. He sighed then left another message. " Cal, where are you? I was calling to see if you wanted anything from the market, Strawberries , wine maybe? Any way, give me a call when you get this."

When he hung up , he immediately dialed her cell phone number. Again he waited. Then he heard, " Hi!"

" Calliegh,..."

" _This is Calleigh Duquense , I can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave a message , I'll get back to you. Have a good day!"_

" Dammit!" Speed exclaimed out loud. His voice echoed in the empty parking garage. She hadn't picked up at home ,and now he couldn't raise on her cell phone. Something wasn't right and the heaviness in his stomach did nothing to dissuade his fears.

S/C

Perfect. Everything had to go perfect. _If not , it would be ruined,_ he thought. He sat in his car and waited. She would be coming home in a minute. Hopefully, she would be alone and not with that scruffy guy she had started dating. He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were white at the thought of her boyfriend. Moments passed by, and then he saw her yellow jeep as she swung it in her driveway. He watched her as she got out of the jeep and closed the door. Her hair swayed gently in the soft breeze that was blowing. He imagined his hands in her pale blond locks. He gleefully chuckled to himself as she walked into her door and slammed it shut. _She's upset. Probably that prick of a boyfriend's fault,_ he glowered. He waited for a couple of minutes to make sure that he wouldn't be seen, then he got out of the car. He crossed the street quickly and dropped an unspent shell onto her front yard. He knew this would grab her attention , after all she was known as the 'bullet girl'. He then knocked on the door softly at first, then he pounded on the door. Figuring that she was trying to guess who would be at her door, he fled under the cover of her parked jeep. He saw her as she opened the door and looked out. The mere sight of her this close, left him almost unable to contain himself. _"Easy. In due time," _a voice that wasn't his said. Many voices came to him but hers was the sweetest.

_" You're such a sweetie pie, Therrin. Thanks," s_he had said to him, pinching his cheek. He hadn't washed his face since that moment.

He shook the thought away from him as he noticed she was turning to go into the house. He got up quickly behind her and slipped the chloroform riddled cloth over her face. He smelled the faint scent of her vanilla shampoo as she struggled for a slight second , then he felt as she lost the struggle and fainted. He carried her to his car, then went back to close the door. As he got in, he glanced at her in the back seat, a deranged smile peeling across his face. His goddess . Perfection.

S/C

Speed turned his bike into the drive way noticing the jeep parked there. Something had crept into his soul. It was dread. If Calleigh was home , she wouldn't be ignoring the phone, not after the proposition she gave him at the lab. He walked to the door not noticing anything out of the way , and knocked. When she didn't answer, he knocked again. Still no answer.

" Calleigh! It's me . Open up," Speed said as he pounded on the door louder. " Cal. C'mon, open up!"

Quiet.

Fear seeped into his heart as he fumbled to find the spare she had left for him. Something wasn't right. He turned the key and walked in the door noticing her keys on the hallway table. He then turned into her modest kitchen to see a glass next to the bottle of Absolute, half empty.

" Calleigh!" he called out. Silence replied to him. He came out of the kitchen and bounded up the stairs. He walked through every room, finding them empty. Coming to her bedroom, he heard her voice as it spoke over her answering machine

_" Sorry, I'm unable to come to the phone right now..."_

Speed's eyes welled as he heard her melodic voice. She wasn't here. He checked her messages, hearing himself on the other line ,twice. He walked down the stairs quickly and pulled out his cell phone, dialing Horatio's number.

" Caine."

"H. It's Speed. We've got a situation." He didn't want to say the next words ,saying them would make it a reality. " Calleigh's missing."

" What?" Horatio asked .

" She's missing, Horatio. I came over after work and when I got here, she wasn't here. The door was closed, and her keys were on the table. Her jeep's still in the drive," Speed said his voice tight with emotion. He couldn't lose her.

" Okay , Speed relax. I'll be there in ten minutes. Everything's going to be okay. Alright?"

Speed walked outside and stood. He noticed something on the ground.

" Speed?"

He knelt down to take a look. A bullet.

"Speed. Sit tight, I'm on my way," Horatio replied. His concern had grown with each moment.

" H, hurry up. She's in trouble..."

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The familiar names are not mine, alas they belong to the big wigs of CBS. The unfamiliar names are mine.

Summary: Calleigh's been taken. By who?

Chapter 3

He couldn't believe his luck. He had gotten away with it. He glanced back at her sleeping form, his excitement rising inside of him. Finally, he had her to himself. He parked the car in the shed and got out, almost skipping. Smile formed as he picked her up effortlessly, hoping that he wouldn't disturb her. He opened the door to his home while holding her in his arms. He drank in her scent as he maneuvered her across his shoulder. He could barely contain his joy.He carried her to a bedroom and laid her across a bed, smoothing her hair away from her face. Her beauty crippled him for a moment as he gazed upon her peaceful features._ " Remember what to do next"_, a voice said from inside of his head. He nodded to the phantom voice and quickly tied her delicate wrists to the bed post. He noticed as he was tying, that she had scars on both of her wrists.

" You're a tortured soul too," he said softly. The sound of his voice was heavy in the stillness of the room and it carried sadness. "Don't worry, Calleigh, I will take care of you."

After he finished tying her to the bed , took off her boots and placed them neatly onto the floor.

" Mother always said not to put your shoes on the bed. We must be obedient," he explained. He then stood over her and watched her for hours. When he left the room, the sun was just peeking up above the horizon. He had to prepare for work, and he couldn't be late. He had to maintain appearances to keep his new gift perfect, hidden from the rest of the world. She was far away from the life she once knew, and hopefully she would grow to love her new life. With him.

S/C

It had been almost eleven hours since Speed had arrived at Calliegh's to find her missing, and he was unraveling at the seams. He watched as Horatio and Eric began the preliminary search of the scene._ Scene. Her house is__ a crime scene,_ Speed thought with tears in his eyes. He stood by his bike talking to Tripp as they moved in and out of the house. It was like she had disappeared into thin air. There were no traces of anything, no fingerprints, hairs, nothing. Nothing except the unspent bullet that Speed had found on her front yard.

" So how did you get in again?" Tripp asked as Speed stared into the distance.

"Huh?"

" How did you get in?"

" There is a spare key that she kept in a flower pot. Only she and I knew about it. I told all of this to Horatio when he got here," Speed replied. He sensed his tolerance level dropping.

" So , you walk in, and you go to the kitchen first?"

" Yeah. What's with the questions, Frank? Am I a suspect?" Speed said giving Frank his full attention now.

" You were the first to arrive at the scene right?"Frank replied, also gearing himself up.

" She's my girlfriend, Frank. I wouldn't hurt her."

" You had a bad day yesterday, with the shootout. Maybe you were a little wound up," a voice said behind them. Speed instantly knew who it was, Jack Seager IAB.

Speed turned around quickly and glared at him, " This has nothing to do with that. I took your poly, why are you still busting me with that?"

" You refused to complete it, Speedle. I hardly call that cooperation. You were involved with Detective Duquense?"

" Yes , we_ are_ involved, if it's any of your business," Speed replied moving within inches of Jack's face.

" It's IAB's business when a detective goes missing. I'm recommending that you be relieved of duty until the investigation is over ," Seager said turning around to face Horatio who had approached when he saw Seager arrive. " Conflict of interest."

" We need every available man to look for Detective Duquense," Horatio stated with his hands on his hips.

" He's too close Caine. Way too close. He could pose a problem if he suddenly became a suspect," Seager replied.

Hearing those words, Speed pulled back and punched Seager in the face, sending the agent toppling to the ground. He advanced on Seager intending to continue his attack, but Horatio, Frank, and Eric held him back. Speed struggled against his oppressors trying to reach Seager again, " You son of a bitch, I wouldn't hurt Calleigh to save my own life. I love her."Speed stopped struggling and snatched away from the men. Tears of pain and fury threatened to overflow .

Seager got up , holding his eye, he would surely be sporting a nasty black eye later on.

" Horatio, I'm recommending he be suspended until the investigation is over. Then I'm going after his badge."

" Jack, in this country, we are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. How about you let us do our job so we can find Detective Duquense. I'll handle my personnel," Horatio said glancing down at the ground.

" Fine, do your jobs, but Speedle is off the case," Seager said to Horatio. " And you. Don't go anywhere," he said pointing to Speed. He then walked back to his car and left the scene.

Horatio glared at Speed. He understood what he was going through but he lost his self control and that may have cost him his job, and Calleigh's life.

" Speed..." Horatio started. He saw as Speed nodded his head side to side and took his 9mm out of it's holster, slid the clip out , and discharged the round in the chamber. He then unclipped his badge from his belt and handed it to Horatio.

" Speed, c'mon man." Eric said

" Find her. Please just find her," Speed said as he got onto his bike. He left her house with the wind in his hair, tears in his eyes, and her in his heart.

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: On the first three chapters, nothing's changed. Mild language warning.

Dido's White Flag provided inspiration for this chapter.

Summary: Time has passed and there is no advancement in the case, Calliegh is still in captivity.

Calliegh looked up in the mirror, seeing a faint ghost of the person she used to be. The grime on the mirror couldn't hide the pain of living without him. She turned off the water, and knocked on the door to let her captor know that she was finished. He unlocked the door, and opened it slowly. Before she could get out, he slipped a pair of handcuffs on her wrists. They matched the pair of shackles that he had attached to her ankles before she got up out of the bed. He led her to the bed, and she sat down. She felt the tears surface as he attached her to the bed post . Thoughts bombarded her mind, was Speed looking for her? How long had she been gone?

At first, she didn't remember much as she came out of her chloroform induced slumber, but as she gained her bearings, she realized she had been abducted. When she woke up, she saw that she was in a small room with one window, and that she was tied to the bed by her wrists. The room smelled of moth balls and years of dust that she could see collecting on the tiny vanity that was opposite the bed. She tried to get out of the binds but it was no use, they were tied tight. She struggled more, going nowhere. Fear rose in her, she wasn't used to being in positions that she couldn't control. She let out a fierce scream of agony, she was trapped. She laid there in silence as the sun went through different phases. When it got dark , she heard keys then footsteps as they approached the door. As the door opened, Calliegh got a good look at her captor when he switched on the light. Shocked, she drew in a ragged breath. She knew this man from somewhere. She saw the apron that he wore and the name tag. She couldn't place him but he seemed very familiar. He cooed over her then let her go to the bathroom, taking rigorous precautions to prevent her escape. When she returned he tied her back to the bed. Calleigh's first day in captivity would mirror the ones that came afterwards.

She lost track of how long she had been with him, but her days were nothing if not routine. He had started to bring food for her before he left for work, and when he returned, he would let her go to the bathroom. The nights she spent not sleeping , but imagining the grief Speed was going through. She missed seeing his face, his warm brown eyes that melted her, and his touch that sent electricity through her. When she did sleep, she dreamt of the time she had spent with him. She also dreamt of getting back to him. When she awoke, harsh reality flooded her . She didn't know how or if she would get out of this.

Today, she had questions for her captor. She at least wanted to know why he chose her.

" Why?" Calleigh asked , her throat thick with emotion. She had not spoken a word since she awoke, and it startled him.

"Wh-What?"

"Why? Why did you take me?"

" Because you like me. I know you had a boyfriend, but you showed me the most attention. When you came in the Bistro , you made it your business to speak to me. So I thought that I could take you away from there, and we could be happy," he replied slowly.

Instantly she remembered who he was. Therrin. He was the bus boy at the Bistro that she and Speed went to for meals. It was a quaint place and the atmosphere is what drew her there. Sitting here in the dusty room, she wished she had never stepped foot in the place.

" Therrin, I was happy in my life. Why would you think that I needed to be taken away from it?"

He shuddered when he heard her speak his name and smiled widely, "Because, I saw how you really felt. When he wasn't looking. The sadness that you carried with you. Someone so beautiful shouldn't be so sad."

" I wasn't sad. I was in love. That man, my boyfriend, he made me the happiest that I'd ever been in my life," Calliegh replied feeling anger rise in her. This man took her from the best thing she had. " I don't know you from a can of paint."

" No..."

" I love him. Not you", she replied coldly.

" Not true! Not true! Not true!" Therrin repeated. He shook his head violently. Then on impulse, he struck Calleigh on her cheek. " Now you see what you made me do? I don't want to hurt you. I love you."

Calleigh turned her face to his revealing the bright red spot that was forming on her cheek. Her eyes were moist with tears, " Therrin, let me go. If you love me , let me go."

" I can't let you go , Calliegh. I love you too much. I want you to stay with me forever," Therrin replied calmly. " Don't try anything. I don't want to hurt you, but if I can't have you no one will.

Calliegh closed her eyes and let the tears drop. Forever. She already felt like she'd been here an eternity.

S/C

_I will go down with this ship_

_and I won't put my hands up in surrender_

_there will be no white flag above my door_

_I'm in love_

_and always will be_

Dido White Flag

Speed turned over in his bed to hit the alarm clock. Wiping his eyes , he sat up to look at the time on the now silent clock. 5:30 am. He turned on the lamp on his night stand and his eyes automatically went to the picture of Calleigh. She had a beautiful smile on her face and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He picked up the picture and lightly touched her face , tears coming to his eyes. She had been gone for six weeks, and there was still no sign of who could've taken her. Six weeks without Calleigh. It was a living hell.

He put the picture back in it's place on the stand and got out of bed. Often in the stillness of the morning, he could hear her whispers, they haunted him daily, following him as he worked. He tried to ignore them, but it was pointless. A part of him was gone.

As he always did, he took a shower and prepared for work. He had been cleared in the course of the ongoing investigation, and he was given a write up for punching Seager, so he was allowed to return back to active duty.

It had not been the same since , she had been gone. His job meant nothing to him now, the only reason he was there was to fill up space in his life as well as get any information about Calliegh .He walked by the ballistics lab slowly as he did everyday , unaware that he was hoping by some miracle, she would come out to greet him. But he was wrong, she would not be there. He continued to walk slowly, deliberately through the corridor. His thoughts lingered on her , his heart breaking at the thought of what she was going through. More than anything, he prayed that she was alive and being treated well. Despite the lack of evidence, Speed had never given up hope that Calleigh would be found. He couldn't . His heart would not let him surrender just yet.

He floated through the day, not saying much to anyone, but focusing on the task at hand. Even though his mind centered on the cases that continued to pour in, his heart was elsewhere, searching for her. At lunch, Eric entered the trace lab, concern written all over his face. Before Calliegh had disappeared, Speed's appearance was borderline. Now with her gone, Eric saw as his friend paid less attention to himself, letting his stubble grow into a step less than a beard and his clothes looked as if he pulled them from the bottom of the pile.

" Speed, you want to go somewhere for lunch?" Eric asked lightly.

" Not really. I got a lot of work to do here. Besides, I'm not hungry," Speed replied not looking up.

" Speed , you gotta start looking out for yourself, man. You look like death warmed over,"

" You know Eric, talk to me when someone you love is snatched from you. Till then, leave me the hell alone," Speed said baring down on him. He looked away from Eric and sighed. He didn't mean to come off like a jerk, but his emotions were all out of whack. "Look man, I'm sorry. Sometimes, I get so angry. I should've been more careful, more watchful. I miss her , Eric."

Eric crossed the room and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, " Speed , I know you are upset, but unless you are psychic, you couldn't have known that this was going to happen. Who knows how many people go through the day not knowing that they are being watched. But what's important is that you continue to live your life, so that when she comes back, you guys can pick up where you started."

Speed looked at Eric in amazement. He knew how to help. " I'll take you up on that lunch. But Delko, I'm picking."

"Why do you get to pick?"Eric asked feigning disappointment.

" Because, I am the only one between us who has taste. If I leave it up to you, it will be hamburgers and french fries. You lack culture," Speed said taking off his lab coat. He was starting to feel a little better. "And, I know just the place. Calliegh and I used to go there all the time."

" Really? You sure you want to go there," Eric inquired. He didn't want Speed to get distraught in public.

" Yeah. She loved it there. They have the greatest food. It will be nice to be around people that she interacted with."

" Alright. Let's go then," Eric said walking out of the lab, with Speed not far behind. He still held on to her in his heart, but now, maybe the pain would subside as he ventured into the land of the living.

S/C

Before he left the house, Therrin made sure that she was tied tightly. The scene replayed in his mind driving him mad, she couldn't leave him. He would kill her before that happened. As he drove back into the city, he lingered on the moments when he watched her sleep. She never slept well, but the nights that she slumbered calmly, he would stand over her and watch as her chest rose and fell with each breath. He was so in love with Calleigh Duqunese, his mind knew nothing else. As he pulled his car up at the Bistro, he was making a mental list of things to get from the store. She would need to be bathe and her hair washed, and he knew exactly what products she used.

He worked diligently, almost with a spring in his step as the day progressed into the looming lunch hour. Mr.Sampas , the manager ,noticed how happy Therrin was and smiled to himself. Therrin had had it bad in the past, and it made him happy to see Therrin happy.

" Therrin, I've noticed over the past six weeks as your work has picked up. You seeing somebody?"

Therrin thought hard about it, he couldn't let on about Calliegh, " Yeah Mr. Sampas, I am. She's beautiful."

"Really? Do I know her?"Mr. Sampas beamed.

" She was a regular here. But she eats somewhere else now," Therrin replied smiling. He thought of his precious Calleigh at home.

" You'll have to bring her around sometime, Therrin. Are you ready for the lunch rush?" Sampas said clapping his huge hand on Therrin's shoulder.

" Yes, sir!"

" Good, cause here they come," Sampas said walking to greet the customers as they filed in.

Therrin looked in the waiting area and lost his breath. It was him! He looked a little different, but he was sure that it was him. He had with him a tall cuban, and they were laughing as they followed the hostess to his area.. From the back he watched as he and the cuban continued to talk and laugh. _He sure doesn't look like he's missing her,_ Therrin said to himself. After their order came, Therrin walked out to clean the tables surrounding them. As he worked, he noticed as the cuban was still talking, but he had stopped and gazed off into the distance. _He's thinking about her! How dare he! She's mine! _Several people looked at Therrin as he had broken a plate. He noticed as the man continued to look at him half smiling, through his pain riddled eyes. Therrin walked to their table , picking up the dishes that were being discarded.

" Oh! Hi Therrin. How are you doing?" the man said.

" Fine, Mr. Speedle. Where's that pretty lady you used to come with ?" Therrin asked lightly . He knew very well where she was.

" It's Speed, remember Therrin?" Speed said intentionally ignoring the second question. It had hit him like a ton of bricks. " This is Eric Delko. I work with him at the lab."

" Mr. Delko," Therrin replied extending his hand.

" It's Eric. Tell the cook that the food's good here, would ya?" Eric said as he pushed his fork in his mouth.

"Sure will. You gentlemen have a nice lunch, ok?" Therrin said as he picked up the dishes. How clever he had been, to walk up to the love of her life and present himself. He didn't know anything. All had gone to plan.

Speed's eyes gravitated to Therrin's neck ,seeing the dainty necklace that he wore. He could swear he'd seen that very same necklace on Calleigh's neck. He shook himself out of his funk and smiled back at Therrin. There were thousands of necklaces like that in Miami. He watched Therrin intently for the rest of his time there. Something was not right. When he was in here previously with Calleigh, he saw the way he reacted to him, and the sadness that the young man held in his shoulders. Now , he was holding conversations with him and the sadness was no longer there. It was replace with joy. Speed held on to the thought as he and Eric paid for their meals and headed back to the lab. The outing was theraputic for Speed, he felt as if he could breathe without his heart breaking. He was rejuvinated as he started the Hummer. When the engine roared to life, he heard a familiar song as it blasted through the radio. It solidified how he felt about Calleigh and his renewed quest to find her.

_I will go down with this ship_

_I won't put my hands up in surrender_

_There will be no white flag above my door_

_I'm in love and always will be._

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters. Mild language and violence warning.

Summary: Things start to go bad for Calleigh, quickly.

Chapter 5

He was upset, clearly. Calleigh listened intently as he entered the house, slamming the doors. She was startled because she had never heard him get upset in the time she had been there. She gathered herself, preparing to be ready when he came in. She waited for a minute then heard as he retreated to his room. She relaxed herself and closed her eyes. So far, he had been calm, with the exception of the slapping incident, but she blamed herself for that. She knew that she shouldn't have provoked him , but she was furious at him for assuming that he was doing her a favor by taking her. She closed her eyes, hoping that she would actually get some sleep tonight.

She had drifted towards sleep when he opened the door, and she squinted as he turned on the light. When her eyes focused, she saw as his face was contorted in pain. He had been crying , and she could smell the heady aroma of a liquor as he walked to her. He stood at the foot of the bed, his eyes wild . Calleigh saw the glint of something in his hand.

" Therrin, wh- what's wrong?" Calleigh asked as she sat up.

" He's still looking for you. I thought that he would've forgotten about you by now, since he didn't love you any way. But, he's a stubborn man," Therrin replied coldly.

Calleigh's heart lifted at the news. Speed hadn't given up on her. She tried to keep her excitement in check as she asked, " Who? Who's still looking for me?"

" Don't. I'm not stupid. You know who I'm talking about. Your boyfriend, Speed." Therrin's tone began to get darker. He moved closer to her , revealing what he had in his hands, a pair of scissors. " I've got to do something to throw him off. He's a smart man. He saw the necklace that I got from you."

Calleigh felt a chill as he leaned forward , hovering over her. The liquor mixed with her fear, made her stomach turn cartwheels. She turned her head to the side and let her stomach contents return to the surface. He looked at her in disgust then grabbed her hair. She struggled, violently shaking her head. He slapped her hard and her head went limp. He then went on, methodically cutting her long blond hair. When he was finished, he collected the hair , then held the scissors open. He hesitated a moment , tears coming to his eyes. He didn't want to hurt her, but things were starting to happen. He had to throw Speedle off guard. He sniffled, then slashed Calleigh's wrist were the faded scar had been. He moved quickly, collecting the blood in a small bowl, then applying pressure on the wound. He then stitched it up and wrapped it with gauze. He looked back at her as he walked to the door. He would clean her later, but now he had work to do.

S/C

The night had been troublesome for Speed. He was unable to sleep, thinking about his encounter with the bus boy at the Bistro as well as a break in the case. A hair had been found on the tail pipe of Calleigh's jeep. Speed stood breathless as Horatio explained as the evidence had gotten misplaced in transport from the crime scene. Speed had waited in the DNA lab the rest of the day, hovering over Valera as she tried her best to hurry the process. In the end, there was nothing in AFIS, but it was something new. Now in the early morning hours, Speed stared at his ceiling ,his hopes flying.

When it was evident that he wasn't going back to sleep, he got up and went for a run. He loved to run, it helped him to clear his mind, but since Calleigh's disappearance, he had stopped going. How could he enjoy himself when she was gone? As expected, it was deserted on the roads, and that suited Speed just fine. He felt as the stress fell off of him as he ran farther. Two hours later, he was in his shower. After getting out, he looked at himself in the mirror and thought about the words Delko had said to him. He got out his shaving cream and began to shave the beard that had taken residence on his face. When he finished, he smiled to himself lightly, Calleigh loved to see him clean shaven . He then got dressed and headed for the lab. It was still early, but he figured he could get some work done and maybe get a shot at the new piece of evidence.

He was at work a full two hours before Paula had called him. He had a package at the front desk. He hung the phone up and took off his lab coat, then walked down the hallway to the lobby.When he got there, he saw as Paula was just getting settled in. He smiled at her lightly when she glanced up with her eyebrows lifted.

" Well Speed. What's with the new look?"

" I shaved. What's the big deal? Should fireworks go off every time I put a razor to my face?" he asked , his voice heavy with sarcasm. " You said I had a package?"

" Yeah. Here it is," Paula said handing it to him.

Speed looked at the package. It was wrapped in a brown paper bag and the only thing that was on it was 'Timothy Speedle' in thick black words. He looked at the package from all sides, nothing jumping out at him. " Was it delivered this morning?"he asked shaking it.

" It was just sitting here when I got in," Paula offered. " There's nothing on the sign in."

" Thanks , Paula."

" Sure, no problem," she replied as she grabbed the phone.

Speed held the package under his arm as he walked through the lobby. He spotted Eric as he was getting off of the elevator , holding a file folder. He smiled at Speed as he noticed that he had shaved. " So, you shaved. Good man."

" What is it with you people? Why are you all so fascinated with my grooming?" he said as he kept walking. Inside , he felt good about the attention. Most of the time he had felt like noone had noticed him.

" What you got there?" Eric gestured to the package under his arm.

" I don't know. I was going to open it in the break room, but I think I will open it in the ballistics lab. You never know what kind of surprises someone will send when they feel like they've been done wrong by the man," Speed said smirking.

" Damn the man?"Eric asked a big smile forming on his face.

" Exactly," Speed replied simply. The duo kept walking until they came to the elevators. Getting on , Speed felt a little suspicious about the package. It didn't rattle , and he didn't hear any ticking, but he couldn't be sure that it was harmless. If it was, why the anonymity? The men stepped off the elevator and stopped at the doors of the ballistics lab. Speed seemed hesitant to go forward.

" What's up?" Eric asked as he saw Speed stop.

" I 've walked past here so many times, but I haven't actually gone in since she's been gone," Speed replied softly. Tears formed in his eyes. The emotions that he had fought to keep at bay were starting to resurface again. He was okay when he didn't have to face her ghost , but the ballistics lab held her essence. Speed breathed in deeply and walked in the doors. He had to start making progress forward.

" Hey guys, what's up?" Mark , the new guy asked. He had joined the group right after Calleigh's disappearance, but he still couldn't find his rhythm. He was no 'bullet guy', but he knew his stuff.

" Just wanted to open a package. Not sure if it's safe. You don't mind do you, Mark?" Speed asked.

"N-No, not at all," Mark replied. He remembered the autopsy he observed, his first. Headless. He had lost it right in front of Lt. Caine. Now he was standing face to face with the instigators of the prank.

" What's wrong, Mark?" Eric asked chuckling.

" Nothing, I just know that you guys are notorious pranksters. I hope it's nothing that will make a mess, I'm in the middle of processing evidence," Mark replied nervously.

" Don't worry, Mark. It's not a prank. Really," Speed said unwrapping the paper. He then gently opened the box. He felt as the color drained from his face. Eric moved next to him ,seeing the distress on his friend's face.

" Speed, what is it?" Eric said looking into the box. Sitting neatly in a pile was a good amount of hair. Blond. It was streaked in a red substance. Eric took in a harsh breath, " Is that blood?"

Speed grabbed some gloves then picked up a strand. He smelled as the faint aroma of vanilla intermingled with the heady copper smell. It made him sick to his stomach. He stumbled slightly as he tried to find a seat. His body didn't cooperate and he tumbled onto the floor, hitting his head. Eric moved quickly seeing as blood began to pool under Speed's head.

" Mark, call Horatio," Eric said working to hold off the bleeding.

" Wh- Is he ok?" Mark asked weakly. This was almost too much for him.

" Get Horatio here now!" Eric ordered. " And call down to the morgue. We need Alexx up here too."

Mark flew into action first calling Horatio in his office, then getting the ME. They both made it to the ballistics lab in seconds, Horatio walking in the door first, Alexx following . Alexx saw Speed on the floor, and began working on him.

" What happened?" she asked as she lifted Speed's head slightly. She felt an opening in the back of his head, it still bleeding profusely.

" He got this package this morning," Eric said gesturing to the box.

Horatio put on some gloves and inspected the box. He saw the blond hair and smelled the blood. He dropped his head then lifted it, " Eric, get this to trace."

Eric grabbed the paper , the box and it's contents and headed out of the ballistics lab. Horatio turned his attention to his trace expert. He looked at Alexx and asked, " Is he okay?"

" He's gonna need stitches, and some serious aspirin , but other than that, I think he's going to be ok," Alexx said as she got out her cell phone, calling the rescue. "I'll go along with him to keep him company."

" Thanks, Alexx. Keep me posted on him, ok?" Horatio said walking out.

" Horatio?" Alexx asked

"Yes?"

" Was that Calleigh's hair?"

Horatio glanced at the floor and placed his hands on his hips. His reply was laced with sadness,

" I don't know, Alexx. But I, I intend on finding out."

TBC...

For those Rory fanatics I slipped in a line from Empire Records. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Same as before. Mild language and violence.

Summary: Case is back in full swing as the CSI's get closer to finding Calleigh, but will they be too late?...

Chapter 6

_Walking. Feeling a sense of dread as he passed the old model Ford, he proceeded to step onto the porch. The door was left open and he could see the partial view of the foyer, blood stains were everywhere. He stepped around the bloodstains, careful not to disturb the crime scene. He looked back to see if anyone else was coming, he could've sworn that Eric had ridden with him here. He then took a right turn into the living room. It was filled with antique furniture and smelled of moth balls. He scanned the room quickly deducting that noone had lived here in years. He walked on , coming to a door. He opened the door slowly to see a body covered in a sheet, the sheet was covered in blood. He lifted the sheet to reveal her face. Her eyes that were once sparkling, were now empty. Her long blond hair that he had caressed so many nights ago was cut drastically short. Tears rose in his eyes, as he knelt to hold her. He had found her, but he was too late._

_S/C_

Speed awoke with a start, causing the dull pounding in his head to burst forth full blast, the memories of the dream playing on his conscience. He felt moisture on his cheek. He had been crying. He winced in pain as he turned his head to see Alexx sitting next to the bed , looking at the television, but not actually watching it. Alexx heard Speed as he sat up in the bed.

" Timmy! You're awake. You gave us a scare there for a minute," Alexx said putting a comforting hand on his leg.

" What happened?" Speed asked still wincing. His head hurt like hell.

" What do you remember?"

" I got a package, we went to ballistics to open. It gets foggy after that," Speed said .

" You fainted. You had a deep laceration to the back of your head, which required you to get stitches - thirty five to be exact," Alexx explained in her professional tone.

" Fainted? Was the package biological?"

Alex didn't want to get him upset , but she felt like he should know, " No, not in the sense you are talking about. There was hair and blood. A lot of both. Horatio called two hours ago to give me an update. The hair had been cut with scissors so there wasn't any way to get a DNA sample. But the blood was a match to Calleigh. They were able to compare to her medical records. The blood had just began to coagulate so that means that she could still be alive. There was another sample found as well, perp cut himself in the process. They were still running it in CODIS and AFIS."

Speed took in the information quietly. Someone felt the need to let them know that Calleigh was still alive . He sat in thought for a moment , not lifting his eyes off of the white sheet. Without notice, he threw the sheet off of him and moved to get up.

" Speed, where do you think you are going? You need to take it easy. You have a head injury."

"Alexx, I can't just sit here while some maniac has Calleigh. He's talking to me. I'm going to talk back," Speed replied gingerly standing up. He stumbled slightly as his head swam. " Where are my clothes?"

" You are staying here. The doctor wants to observe you overnight," Alexx returned , shooting him a steely look.

Speed held his head as he attempted to walk forward. Normally he wouldn't defy Alexx, but this wasn't a normal situation. He put a foot out then lost his balance. Alexx got up quickly and helped him back into bed.

" Men. So stubborn. I told you to take it easy. Tomorrow , you can return back to the lab. For now , rest. You are going to need your strength , if you want to find her," Alexx replied softly. "It's important that you do that."

Speed glanced at Alexx, seeing her demeanor change. " There's something you are not telling me. What is it?"

" Speed..."

"Alexx! What is it?"

" The blood showed high concentrations of folic acid..."

" She's pregnant?" Speed asked his voice choked with despair.

" Yes. So now you know why you should take it easy and get right. She's going to need you. Rest. I will stay with you."

" Thanks , Alexx," Speed said softly. He retreated into his thoughts. A baby. Calleigh was pregnant with his child. The situation just turned worse.

S/C

Horatio peered into the microscope, focusing on the hair that laid under it. The blood had came back as Calleigh's and it also yielded more information, she was pregnant. The case had been put on the front burner again and Horatio delegated his team to look further into the details of the case. He noticed a fine dust on the hair. He took to piece of hair and cut a section off. As he was doing this, Eric walked in.

" H, I got Calleigh's phone records. I'm surprised at what we missed."

" Which was?" Horatio asked quietly. He didn't want to admit it, but the ball had been dropped in this case, which he attributed to the fact that they were so close to her.

" There are several calls, one hundred and fifty to be exact, from one number to Calliegh's home. They didn't last more than five minutes, which is why it didn't send up a red flag."

" Sounds like a stalker. Got a location?"

" Yeah, a restaurant called the Bistro. It's on Collins. Speed and I went there for lunch."

" Good. Take Tripp and ask around. Someone at the Bistro had eyes for Calleigh."

" I'm all over it, H. Also, the hair that was recovered from the tail pipe matched the sample of blood that was found among Calleigh's. Whoever called her from the restaurant, followed her to her house," Eric replied sighing heavily.

" Alright, here's what we do. You and Frank go talk to the manager and the employees. Make sure to take notice if someone has quit or gotten fired within the last six weeks. I'm going to talk to a witness," Horatio said as he got up from the microscope. He called in a trace technician to take over for him on the hair samples, then left the CSI building, heading for the hospital.

S/C

"Mr. Sampas, can you tell me if you have fired anyone within the last six weeks?" Eric asked as they sat in a small office in the rear of the restaurant.

" It's a restaurant. People get fired all the time. Mainly for stupid reasons."

" Like , for say, making personal phone calls while on the clock?" Tripp asked.

" No. Noone's done that recently."

" Mr.Sampas, we've traced over one hundred and fifty calls from this number to a missing detective. It's hard to believe that you miss someone making that amount of phone calls," Eric replied.

" I said noone's done that recently. About a month or so ago, I caught one of our bus boys using the phone. He said he was calling to check up on a family member. I just told him to make his calls off the clock. We provide a pay phone out back by the smoking area."

" What's the name of the bus boy?" Tripp asked cooly.

" Therrin. Therrin Mackinzie. Surely you're not thinkin' he had anything to do with this detective's disapperance . Therrin's harmless. He couldn't harm a fly."

" The investigation is on going. You think that we could take a look at his locker?" Eric asked. Something was telling him he had just caught a break.

" I-I don't know. Don't you have to have his permission or something?"Sampas replied uneasily.

Eric looked at Tripp who was flipping his cell phone up. He then asked, " Is Therrin working today?"

" Yeah, but he is on break right now. The break room is around the corner."

" Thanks, Mr.Sampas. You've been a real help," Tripp added as he hung up the phone. He then turned to Eric saying, " A warrant is on the way. Let's go talk to Mr. Mackinzie."

"Let's", Eric replied with a slight smile on his face.

S/C

Horatio opened the door to the room to see Alexx resting her head next to Speed as he slept. He knew that Alexx and Speed had a special relationship, and he smiled at the scene. Mother protecting her child. He walked softly and touched Alexx lightly on her shoulder, waking her gently.

"Horatio?"

" How's he doing?" Horatio asked watching his chest fall and rise with each breath.

" He's ok. He tried to leave earlier ,but he thought better about it. I told him about the blood test. He didn't take it too well. The doctor gave him some valium to calm him down."

" How long has he been out?"

"About three hours. Why?"

" We got several leads in the case. I need to talk to him about one of them," Horatio said . His eyes fell on Speed once again. He saw as Speed began to open his eyes.

" Horatio?" Speed asked quietly. " What's going on?"

" Developments. Blood from the unknown sample matched the hair found on Calleigh's jeep. And her phone records maintain that she was getting phone calls , one hundred fifty of them, from a restraunt called the Bistro. I sent Eric and Tripp to go talk to the manager and employees But I want to see if you remember anything ."

Speed thought for a minute then spoke, " There was this bus boy, Therrin. He was always around when we came in. He paid Calleigh special attention and ignored me as if I wasn't even there. Calleigh was nice to him. She saw sadness in him."

" Did you notice any change in him after Calleigh disappeared?" Horatio asked.

" I stopped going. But , I took Eric there yesterday, and he seemed to be on cloud nine. Are you thinking that Therrin could've taken her?"

"I don't know Speed. This is all circumstantial right now. We'll have to see what Eric and Tripp turn up," Horatio replied. He realized that time was ticking and the chances of finding Calleigh were diminishing each moment.

S/C

Eric walked into the locker room behind Sampas holding the warrant that had just been delivered. When Sampas stopped at the locker, Eric handed him the warrant.

" If you'll excuse me, Mr. Sampas. I'll need you to step back while I excute the warrant," Eric said dropping his field kit.He noticed the combination lock on the locker. " You have the combination?"

" No . It's Therrin's personal lock."

" Well, we are going to have to cut it open. Can you tell me why he is the only one who has a lock on his locker?"

" No idea. We have zero tolerance for theft. Most of the employees trust each other."

" Well, let's just see what Mr. Mackinzie has to hide," Eric replied pulling out the bolt cutters. In seconds he had the lock off. He opened the door . He looked at Sampas then back at the locker.

"Mr.Sampas, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Eric said pulling out his mag light. He watched as Sampas left shaking his head. Eric then began to sort through the items. He found several pictures of Calleigh doing her daily living; grocery shopping , washing her car, walking in the park with Speed. He also had pictures of Calleigh at crime scenes. He also found strands of light hair that had blood stains on it. He bagged the hair, then kept looking. He found several notebooks with dates on them. He flipped through a notebook, his eyes catching an entry. It was dated almost two months ago.

_23march03_

_Today, she came in wearing my favorite blouse. She wore her hair in a ponytail, I like it better down. She didn't talk to me much today. Could be because that prick of a boyfriend has her attention. He touched her on her hands. He smiled at her. I've got to do something. Calleigh Duquense loves me ,not him. Not him._

Eric continued to flip further into the journal. This entry was dated last night.

_24 may 03_

_I hated that I had to cut her long beautiful hair, but I had to. I had to throw that prick off. He saw the necklace that I got from Calliegh as she slept. I didn't mean to cut her, but I got so mad when I thought about him. She got sick on the bed. I left her in it. I was so disgusted at her. It took me all night to wrap the package. I didn't go to sleep until late. There was so much blood in the bed. I hope she's okay when I get home._

" Delko!" Frank said from behind him.

"Huh?"

" Our boy Therrin's in the wind. He bounced out of here like a jack rabbit, after he talked to the manager. What did you find?"

"The jackpot. Therrin Mackinzie is definitely our kidnapper. I got to get all of this evidence bagged. Can you call Horatio and let him know what's going on?" Eric asked as he closed the journal. " We need to find Therrin, and quick. Calleigh's life depends on it."

TBC...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter7

Disclaimer: Nothing's changed.

Summary: The team closes in on the bad guy. Will it be enough to save Calleigh?

Chapter 7

_Oh no,_ Therrin thought as he saw the hummer drive up to the front of the building. He knew that his plan had failed. Instead of throwing them off he had attracted them, his anger had made him sloppy. He watched the cuban enter the restaurant along with a tall bald man. He quickly put the trash in the dumpster, then walked back into the building. Casually, he told Mr. Sampas that he wanted to take his break now. Sampas allowed him the break with a slight wave of the hand. Therrin watched from the front as the two men talked with his manager._ He's probably telling them about the phone calls ,_Therrin thought. He kept himself hidden as the men continued to talk receeding to the back of the building. If they got to his locker, they would be coming after him. Therrin went outside and walked to the back. He paced back and forth trying to think of a way to get out of this. He had to get away without them seeing. He walked in , told his manager that he was leaving , then left. He had to get away so that he could think. He didn't worry about them finding her. She was at his parent's old house, and noone had the address to that old place. So he drove .

S/C

She opened her eyes weakly, blinking to let the dim light into her eyes slowly. She smelled the copper scent of blood and the acrid stench of vomit, and she heaved , unable to bring anything up. As she gasped for breath she noticed as her wrist was bandaged. What had happened? She turned her wrists to find that the binds had not been as tight as they previously had been. She twisted and turned the ropes around her, feeling as they burned into her flesh. She was working on pure adreline right now, she hadn't eaten for almost three days, and she hoped that the strength she had left would be enough.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Calliegh had finally twisted the ropes off of her wrist. When the ropes fell, she dropped her arms down to her side, feeling the blood as it rushed to her finger tips. She worked quickly, untying the ropes he had on her ankles. As she untied them, tears rushed to her eyes, she was going to get back. She freed herself then bolted to the door, hoping that he had left it unlocked. Surprisingly enough, she turned the lock and the door opened. She walked out of the room, adjusting her senses. In all of her weeks in captivity, she had not seen any other room in this house. She walked through the hallway , listening for any noises. Turning the corner, he walked into the living room. Her eyes canvassed the room , searching for a telephone. She didn't find anything. She moved on to the kitchen . It was spacious, but filthy. She knew by the dirt and grime that no one had lived in this house in years. She continued to look ,her eyes resting on an object on the bar. A cell phone. She crossed the kitchen in great strides placing her hands on the phone clumsily. She looked at it hard, it was her cell. She turned it on, praying silently that her battery was charged. As the phone lit up, she saw as her battery was indeed charged. She quickly punched a number in, the excitement overwhelming her senses. She heard the phone click then ring._ C'mon, c'mon! Pick up! _

"Hello?" she heard him say groggily. Her eyes erupted in tears. It was the sweetest sound she had ever heard.

"Tim? It's me Calleigh..."

S/C

" Who?" Speed asked as he shook the sleep out of his eyes. He had heard his cell phone as it buzzed against the table. He was alone in the room.

" It's me.."

"Cal- Calleigh? Are you okay baby?" Speed replied uncertain if this was real. He felt as tears protruded out of his eyes.

" Kinda.. I avnt etn..."

"Calleigh? You're breaking up.Calleigh?" Speed said sitting up quickly, prompting a headache to return.

" Tim? I can't hear you. I hope you can hear me. I'm in a ouse ome here..."

"Calleigh, hold on. Okay? I'm coming to get you honey. Hold on," Speed said as the line went dead. He flipped his phone down and immediately got up to search for his clothes. He got dressed quickly and peeped out of the room. The nurses station was empty and the halls were deserted. He looked at his watch, 7:30. He walked out of his room, heading for the elevators. He heard the elevator as it stopped and he moved quickly out of sight of the elevator. Familiar voices reached his ears as they got off and walked to his room. Horatio and Alexx.

" He's going to be elated when we tell him that we've had a break in the case," he heard Horatio say.

" It's going to take an army to keep him from getting out of that bed," Alexx replied. Speed smiled to himself as he inched closer to the stairwell. He didn't hear as Alexx cursed out loud as she opened the door. He was downstairs in the lobby with in minutes, hailing a cab. He had to get to the lab . He knew of a way he could find her.

TBC...

I know it's short but , I couldn't let the cat out of the bag just yet. I'm so bad :)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Nothing's changed. Mild language, violence.

Summary: Everything comes crashing down. Will Speed get to Calleigh in time? Read on...

Chapter 8

The ride to the lab was excruciating for Speed . He glanced at his watch several times , knowing that with each minute, Calleigh could be closer to being found, or she could be dying a slow death. He nervously handled his cell phone as the cabbie gave furtive glances from the rearview mirror, he had many a maniac in his cab, this guy was nothing different. As he flipped the phone down, Speed saw as the cab pulled in the parking lot of the lab. He paid the cabbie for the trip and tipped him. The cabbie smiled and pulled away.

Entering the building, he saw Tyler as he waited at the receptionist's desk.

" Speedle, Whatcha need?" Tyler asked easily. " You are lucky you caught me."

" You can trace a call from cell phone to cell phone right?"Speed asked as he pulled his cell phone out.

" Depends on how long the call was."

" It wasn't long, I 'm afraid," Speed replied defeated. His hope dwindled more as he stood there.

" I got some tricks I could try, though. C'mon, I can see that this is important," Tyler said walking to the elevators. " I'm willing to wager that it has something to do with Calleigh."

Speed smiled lightly at Tyler and nodded, " She called me from where ever she is, but the connection was bad. She fizzled out before I could get a location. I got to find her." He looked at his watch, 8:15.

Almost an hour later, Tyler had nailed down the location using the GPS tracker in Calleigh's cell phone. He thanked Tyler , as he got up and left the room. He moved fast, collecting his field kit and the keys to one of the Hummers. He checked his side arm, just in case he was going to have to use it. He then put the Hummer in drive and sped out of the parking lot, headed out of the city limits. He was going to get Calleigh back.

S/C

The darkness of night had fallen through the house, and for the first time since her child hood , Calleigh Duquense was scared. She stood in the middle of the kitchen for almost an hour, unable to think of where to go. She certainly didn't want to go back into the room she escaped out of ,but she knew that she couldn't be around when he came home. She shook off her fear then began looking for something to arm herself with, she would not go without a fight. She had something to live for. Hearing his voice for that short amount of time, renewed her strength. She continued to replay the groggy voice she had heard in her mind. She couldn't wait to hold him again. It was with that thought, she suddenly heard a car pull up. She ran into a the closest room unaware of what was in it , for she had not been given a tour of the home when she got there. She closed the door just as she heard another door swing open. In the darkness, she trembled at the thought of him finding her.She didn't find anything to defend herself with , she felt like a sitting duck, tucked in a pitch black room. Calliegh heard his anger as he bellowed out. He had likely found her missing from her prison.

Calleigh backed into a corner hearing as Therrin's footsteps went from one room to the next. It would be a matter of time until he found her. She continued to slowly back up ,feeling her way as so not to fall and draw attention. Something stopped her progress and her fingers tickled over the obstacle and it felt clammy and cool so she stopped moving._ What is this,_ Calleigh thought to herself. She swung around to face the wall and used her hands to do what her eyes couldn't. Her hands traced up the fabric , it feeling hard and crusty. She then continued to move her hands up until ,they rested on something. In horror she realized that she was feeling someone's face. Calliegh backed up quickly, toppling over the leg of the bed and falling. She sat there in pain, sure that he had heard that. Tears came quickly as she touched her ankle, it was broken. She tried to crawl under the old bed as she heard his footsteps come closer, her mind reeling.

" Calleigh, I know you are in there," Therrin said his voice eerily calm. " I'm pretty sure you've met my ex- girlfriend. She's been _hanging around,_ for quite sometime. You see, she didn't like all the attention that I gave her, all the love..." _The knob turned_. " She wanted to leave . Much like you do." _Door cracking open._ " I couldn't help myself, Calleigh. I loved her more than I could stand. In the end, I couldn't let her go. Just like I can't let you go."

Calleigh screamed as he burst through the door and grabbed her by her ankles. The pain in her broken ankle was much more than she could bear, and she fainted under the intensity of it. Therrin picked her up and walked out of the room, whistling.

S/C

Speed put on the lights, thinking that it would give him free reign over the highways, but he was mistaken. Noone even paid a moments notice to the Hummer as they slowly made their way to their destinations. He cursed out of frustration as an elderly couple in a Buick Skylark pulled out in front of him.

"Dammit!"Speed said as he slammed on his brakes. He heard his phone chirp to life. Knowing who it was before he answered, he sighed heavily as he flipped the phone open. " Speedle."

" Speed , what the hell are you doing? Where are you?" Horatio said roughly.

"I'm going to get Calleigh, and I'm in the middle of traffic on the Biscayne," Speed replied dryly.

"Ever heard of back up? You don't know what you are getting yourself into. You don't know the entire story. You're not prepared," Horatio scolded.

" Is that code for 'you probably didn't clean your gun '? I got a call from her, H. She's alive, and I know where she's at. I'm going to get her." He replied before he honked his horn. " Dammit, move!"

" Tyler gave us the address. Eric and I are on the way, patrol will back us up. Speed?"

" Yeah , H?"

" Be careful. I don't want to have to put two CSI's in the ground," Horatio said quietly before hanging up.

Speed flipped the phone down and watched as the elderly couple inched forward. As soon as he got a little space in between him and the Buick, he turned the wheel sharply and got into the next lane. He passed them with a pained smile on his face, then barreled down the causeway. The scenery passed him rapidly and he remained focused on the head lights that shone on the black pavement. Soon the pavement turned into a dusty dirt road and Speed felt his stomach knot up as his heart dropped. His phone chirped again , causing Speed to lose his focus.

" Horatio, I'm a big boy, I..."

" Tim..." came a voice. It was weak.

" Cal? Is that you honey? Are you okay? Calleigh?" Speed said gripping the wheel. He didn't like the sound of her weak voice. Then out of nowhere a piercing scream came from the phone. Speed held the phone tighter and yelled " Calliegh!"

" You going to be her knight in shining armor, _Speed_? Well you better hurry, I don't think she's gonna last," a voice said coldly.

" Therrin, if you've hurt her..." Speed said through clinched teeth.

" I can't hurt her, I love her. She wanted to leave but I couldn't. Now she'll be mine forever. In a few minutes, eternity will claim her. Join us if you like," Therrin replied as he hung up the phone.

Speed threw the phone on the opposite seat of the Hummer and stepped on the gas. Luckily , he was only ten minutes away from where Tyler tracked the GPS signal. He floored the Hummer even more, hoping to make it five minutes.

S/C

Therrin looked at Calleigh as she sat on the couch. Her once luxurious long blond hair was now raggedly cut stained with dirt and blood. She had several cuts on her face and a swollen lip from the beating he gave her after pulling her out of the room and she had lost weight since being with him. She was hardly the Calleigh he had fallen in love with at the Bistro, but nonetheless, he loved her. She was the only one who didn't look down on him. He smiled at the memory of those encounters. He then thought about what she had said to him weeks back._" I 'm in love That man, my boyfriend, has made me the happiest I've ever been. I don't know you from a can of paint._" At the remembrance of those words, Therrin walked over to Calleigh and grabbed her wrist. He snatched the gauze from it angrily and slashed the stitches._ Not so happy now are we,_ he thought. He walked away from her, seething.

Pacing he saw as she weakly opened her eyes, " Why, Calliegh? Why couldn't you let me love you? Why did you make me do this?"

Calliegh rolled her head down and attempted to grasp hold of the wrist that was bleeding. She was fading fast. Blood flowed down her hand and pooled on her pants. A part of her wanted to give in to the darkness, but another part, the part that loved Tim, fought to keep her conscious.

She barely noticed as Therrin had stopped pacing and ran to look out of the windows.

" Your boyfriend's here," Therrin said pulling out a gun from under his shirt. Calleigh tried to say something but her words were lost. Therrin turned off the lights and picked up Calleigh. He heard her labored breathing and smiled to himself. She was on the brink of eternity, and soon her boyfriend would join her.

S/C

He pulled up to the driveway of the old house and turned off his lights. He then took a moment to call Horatio. Calleigh had sounded really bad, and Speed wanted to make sure that she could be taken care of.

" Caine."

" H, it's me."

" Where are you?" Horatio said cautiously.

" I'm sitting at the driveway. I just wanted to see if you had any rescues coming with you," Tim said almost letting his emotions boil over.

" The location was right on the border of Miami -Dade city limits, so I called the county to make sure that they would get there faster. We are about five minutes from you." Horatio replied. Speed heard the sirens faintly.

" I can't wait, H. I'm going to get her. Back me up when you get here." Speed said hanging up the phone before Horatio could protest. He then drove slowly up to the house , noticing as the lights suddenly went out.

Getting out of the Hummer, Speed placed a hand on his sidearm and un buckled the holster. There was no doubt that he wouldn't make the same mistake twice, he had been cleaning his gun regularly . He walked to the back of the Hummer and retrieved the big black flashlight. He shut the hatch to the Hummer then breathed in deeply. He was ready to get her back.

He turned on the light and noticed as the front door was ajar. He proceeded slowly up the stairs of the porch and walked in the foyer. Instantly he felt a sense of deja'vu. He saw the blood stains on the wall and the floor. Filling his hand with his gun, he swept the powerful beam around the hallway. As if working on instinct, Speed made a left turn which led him to another hallway. He steadied the light as he brought his gun up in front of him. Slowly , he made his way to the back of the hallway where a door was ajar. The house was deathly silent and musty.

Pushing the door open, his eyes fell on the bed. Something was covered with a sheet. He let the light beam dance on the sheet, afraid of what he would find. He walked quickly to the bed and snatched the sheet off. Under the sheet, Calliegh's face jumped back at him. He dropped the light and moved to embrace her. He saw the bloody wrist and tied a piece of his shirt to it to stop the flow. She stirred slightly, feeling a tight arm over her chest. She started to struggle weakly and Speed let go of her.

" Calliegh, It's me, Tim. I'm here to get you out . Calleigh, can you hear me baby? Don't you die on me. I love you. Don't you leave me again, " he said moving to pick her up.

" Tim..." Calleigh said weakly opening her eyes. " He's got..."

" What?" Tim asked as he stood with her. He heard the floor boards creak. He gently set Calliegh down on the bed and grabbed his gun . Calleigh sat up trying to focus. Before he could turn around, Speed heard the gun shot and felt a white hot sensation tear into his chest. Calleigh screamed loudly and looked at Speed as he fell to his knees. In the dim light that shone through the window, Calleigh saw his brown eyes as they held a sadness that she couldn't bear to look at.

Therrin turned on the light to admire his work, then moved quickly to the bed, stepping over his body. He grabbed Calliegh roughly by the wrists and pulled her off of the bed, "So much for your knight in shining armor. He didn't put up much of a fight for you."

Calleigh struggled to free herself glancing down at the blood that was pooling underneath Speed.

Her heart broke to see him lying there. Before Therrin turned her around, she saw a hint of movement from Speed as he wrapped his fingers around his gun. Therrin pulled her towards the door saying, " Time to go my sweet, Calleigh. Eternity awaits."

Calleigh limped on her bad ankle behind Therrin as he pulled her. Therrin yanked at Calliegh's wrist making the blood seep through Speed's shirt. He made it down the hallway and turned to go into the foyer, when he heard a voice, " Hey! Casanova, let her go." Speed leaned up against the wall to steady himself and save his energy. He heard the sirens as they approached the house.

" How is that possible? I shot you. You should be dead," Therrin returned.

" No shit," Speed returned. He lifted his gun and steadied it , blood staining his hand. " Let her go, Therrin and you might have a chance to spend the rest of your life in a nice comfy padded cell." Speed moved forward ever so slightly, switching on the lights as he continued to lay against the wall. The light startled Therrin and he lost his grip on Calleigh sending her to the ground. Before Therrin could point his gun, Speed fired, sending bullets to pierce his chest and head. Therrin was in eternity before his body hit the floor, eyes wide seeing nothing.

Speed lowered his gun and let it drop to the floor. He saw Calleigh's rumpled body on the floor and walked weakly to it , stumbling. He knelt down and took her in his arms. Tears dropped as he pushed her hair back away from her face. He felt for a pulse on her neck, finding one he smiled at her. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, feeling the love in his warm brown eyes.

" Hi , handsome," she said weakly.

" Hi beautiful. You know, you're a hard person to track down," Speed said breathlessly. He slumped a little as he heard Horatio barking orders from the porch.

" You're hurt."

" Yeah I noticed," Speed said drifting ,losing conscience.

" Speed? Honey..." Calleigh said with tears in her voice.

TBC... sorry to leave you guys hanging. I promise to finish this. Let me know if you want more of this story line in a sequel.


End file.
